Rectangle
Ryan Hanson and contributors · Free, open-source Mac window manager for moving, resizing and tiling windows with customizable keyboard shortcuts and screen-edge snap areas.
About
Rectangle is Ryan Hanson's free, open-source window management application for macOS, based on Spectacle. It helps keyboard users and people working across multiple windows or displays arrange their desktop without repeatedly resizing windows by hand.
Features
- Move windows to halves, quarters, thirds and other supported positions.
- Maximize, center, resize or restore a window through keyboard shortcuts or menu actions.
- Snap windows by dragging them to configurable screen edges and corners.
- Move windows between displays and tile ordinary windows in rows or columns.
- Cycle through stacked windows occupying the same area.
- Customize shortcuts, ignore individual apps and import or export JSON settings.
Installation and first use
Install brew install --cask rectangle, or download the official DMG and move Rectangle.app to Applications. Launch the app and enable its requested Accessibility access in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility so it can control other applications' windows. Choose your shortcut settings and try a menu action before assigning keys that overlap with another application. Drag a window to a screen edge and release it when the preview shows the desired target, or disable snapping if you only want keyboard control.
Requirements, dependencies and limitations
Rectangle2.0.3 requires macOS14 or newer and supports Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. The tagged official README and current Homebrew cask agree on macOS14+. The project identifies v1.100 for macOS10.15–13 and v0.73 for10.13–10.14; those older versions are separate from this current cask. The Homebrew package declares no extra formula dependency. Accessibility permission is an operational requirement, not an extra Homebrew formula. No fixed RAM or storage minimum is published in the retrieved requirements; installed space differs from DMG download size.
Rectangle cannot override an application's minimum window dimensions. Small layouts can therefore leave gaps or overlaps, and terminal programs such as iTerm2 can resize in whole character cells. Actions normally apply to the selected display and current Space. The free application does not provide moving windows between desktops/Spaces; do not confuse that with moving between displays. Combined-display tiling requires the appropriate Rectangle setting and macOS Displays have separate Spaces disabled. Window animation is experimental and off by default; it can behave differently in applications with size restrictions.
Conflicts and troubleshooting
Homebrew declares no named cask conflict, but another running window manager or overlapping keyboard shortcut can interfere. Test the menu action, change the shortcut or temporarily stop the other window manager to isolate the cause. Use Ignore app when you want an application's own shortcut to take precedence. After system changes, confirm Accessibility access is still enabled; the project's FAQ describes resetting and granting permission again if necessary. A manually installed Rectangle.app can occupy the same Applications path. Optional Homebrew zap cleanup removes preferences and application data, so export settings you want to preserve first.
Platforms, accounts, costs and license
Rectangle is macOS-only; there are no official Windows, Linux, Android or iOS builds of this application. The free version requires no user account or paid subscription and is released under the MIT license. Optional donations support development. Rectangle Pro is a separate paid product with additional features and its own terms, not included in this cask. Commercial software whose windows you manage retains its own license and account requirements.
Official references
New What’s new in 2.0.3 Oct 7 · OpenNavo editorial
- WindowsAdd keyboard shortcuts to cycle through stacked windows.
- InterfaceApply additional fixes for the version2 redesign.